Friday, 18 May – Santorini, Cyclades (Greek Islands) The trip from Lucerne to Zurich Airport by train was pretty, and we thought it was quite cool that they had a train that went direct to the airport from half way across the country. Those Swiss have thought of everything! The flight from Zurich to Santorini was scenic as we flew over the Italian and Austrian Alps, Venice and down the Croatian coastline. I really liked the fact that the captain did the welcome in person at the front of the cabin prior to departure, and provided intermittent sightseeing tips along the way. Things like “Ladies and Gentlemen, if you are in the right side of the plane you will see that we’re flying over the Croatian Islands, with Split coming up. On the left you’ll get ... read more

Friday, 4 May – Paris Rose arrived in Paris, Mum and Dad went to Versailles for the day, we went to the Louvre. Unfortunately the Egyptian rooms were closed, so after seeing a Sphinx we wandered into the Mesopotamia rooms instead. This was a series of amazing exhibits with artefacts from Ninevah, Babylon and Persia – many of them in better condition than Roman and Greek artefacts despite being 10 times older. Two rooms in particular were phenomenal – the Babylon palace and Darius’s palace. The statues in the Babylon palace were incredibly preserved for their age and the glazed coloured tiles from Darius’s palace were also incredibly preserved and vibrant in colour for being thousands of years old. It was good to be able to tie it in to what I’ve read in the Bible ... read more

Friday, 20 April – Bordeaux, France We boarded a bus for the French border and again admired the green, mountainous region of norther Spain as we journeyed to San Sebastian and the border town of Irun, Spain. From there we caught the metro from one side of the river to the other, depositing us in Hendaya, France. We purchased our TGV tickets, having just missed a connection by 1 minute, so with the wait of 45 minutes I found a boulangerie (bakery), had my first real chocolate éclair and munched on our lunch until the train came. We were expecting a bullet train and whilst the train was, the ride was not. Disappointingly, we never got above 120kph on the standard rails. 3hrs later we arrived in Bordeaux and instantly loved it. Sandstone buildings, wrought iron ... read more

Friday 6 April – Batalha It was a transit day and you know what that means? Rain…and plenty of it. We left Lisbon under threatening clouds and made our way to a magical kingdom called Sintra. This town was the summer retreat for Portuguese nobility and is famous for at least 8 castles and a landscape that feels overgrown with old, crooked trees and an overdose of thick moss and enchanting views. The walls that divide property or mark a paddock, are made of stone, similar to those found in England and Scotland. Against the backdrop of eerie forest, the rough grey stone adds to the feeling of age. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Rain started just out of Lisbon and continued well into Sintra. We went to our chosen castle which was the most ... read more

Monday, 26 March – Granada It is so good to be in Spain after our time in Morocco! We’ve never been to this part of Spain before but just being on the European continent is like coming home. Most people in Granada speak or at least understand English so getting around has been easier than anticipated. The streets are clean, every dog and cat has an owner, the buildings are pretty and shop owners don’t bug us to come inside and look at their wares. Having said that, Granada is an interesting mix of Berber and Spanish influences. There are lots of shops selling Moroccan stuff as well as every second restaurant offering tajines and couscous. Our apartment is on Calle Elvira (Calle means street), only 50m away from Puerta del Elvira (Elvira Gate). This gate ... read more